Finance Minister Sergei Witte 1905

Boris Kustodiev created this print of Finance Minister Sergei Witte using a linocut, a relief printing technique. Unlike traditional fine art printmaking on metal, linocut uses linoleum, a humble, mass-produced material often found as flooring. With linocut, the artist carves away areas of the linoleum block, leaving raised areas to receive ink. The block is then pressed onto paper, transferring the image. The stark contrast and bold lines are characteristic of the medium, and determined by the way in which the artist has cut into the surface. Linocut's accessibility made it popular for posters and graphic arts, often with political messaging, because it allowed for quick and inexpensive reproduction of images, making art more democratic and widely available. In this portrait, we see Witte holding two flags, symbols of power and authority. Kustodiev's choice of linocut—a medium with associations to mass production and populist expression—adds layers of meaning to the work. It prompts us to consider the relationship between the powerful elite and the means by which their images are disseminated. It reminds us that the materials and methods of art-making carry their own cultural and social significance.